With a market capitalization of 3.12 trillion U.S. dollars as of May 2024, Microsoft was the world’s largest company that year. Rounding out the top five were some of the world’s most recognizable brands: Apple, NVIDIA, Google’s parent company Alphabet, and Amazon. Saudi Aramco led the ranking of the world's most profitable companies in 2023, with a pre-tax income of nearly 250 billion U.S. dollars. How are market value and market capitalization determined? Market value and market capitalization are two terms frequently used – and confused - when discussing the profitability and viability of companies. Strictly speaking, market capitalization (or market cap) is the worth of a company based on the total value of all their shares; an important metric when determining the comparative value of companies for trading opportunities. Accordingly, many stock exchanges such as the New York or London Stock Exchange release market capitalization data on their listed companies. On the other hand, market value technically refers to what a company is worth in a much broader context. It is determined by multiple factors, including profitability, corporate debt, and the market environment as a whole. In this sense it aims to estimate the overall value of a company, with share price only being one element. Market value is therefore useful for determining whether a company’s shares are over- or undervalued, and in arriving at a price if the company is to be sold. Such valuations are generally made on a case-by-case basis though, and not regularly reported. For this reason, market capitalization is often reported as market value. What are the top companies in the world? The answer to this question depends on the metric used. Although the largest company by market capitalization, Microsoft's global revenue did not manage to crack the top 20 companies. Rather, American multinational retailer Walmart was ranked as the largest company in the world by revenue. Walmart also had the highest number of employees in the world.

In 1989, the Industrial Bank of Japan had a market capitalization of approximately 104.29 billion U.S dollars, making it the largest company in the world at the time. Six of the ten largest companies worldwide in 1989 were based in Japan while the remaining four were American, highlighting the economic dominance of these two countries in the late 1980s.

In 2009, Ecxxon Mobil Corp had a market capitalization of approximately 327.71 billion U.S dollars, making it the largest company in the world at the time. Five of the ten largest companies worldwide in 2009 were based in the United States, with three from Europe and two from China.

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The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is the largest stock exchange in the world, with an equity market capitalization of almost ** trillion U.S. dollars as of June 2025. The following three exchanges were the NASDAQ, PINK Exchange, and the Frankfurt Exchange. What is a stock exchange? A stock exchange is a marketplace where stockbrokers, traders, buyers, and sellers can trade in equities products. The largest exchanges have thousands of listed companies. These companies sell shares of their business, giving the general public the opportunity to invest in them. The oldest stock exchange worldwide is the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, founded in the late sixteenth century. Other functions of a stock exchange Since these are publicly traded companies, every firm listed on a stock exchange has had an initial public offering (IPO). The largest IPOs can raise billions of dollars in equity for the firm involved. Related to stock exchanges are derivatives exchanges, where stock options, futures contracts, and other derivatives can be traded.

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Graph and download economic data for Market Capitalization Outside of Top 10 Largest Companies to Total Market Capitalization for Spain (DDAM02ESA156NWDB) from 1998 to 2020 about market cap, Spain, companies, and stock market.

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As of May 23, 2025, Microsoft was the leading tech company by market capitalization globally at 3.38 trillion U.S. dollars. Nvidia ranked second at 3.24 trillion U.S. dollars. Tech company stocks were impacted through 2025 as a result of various global tariff threats by the United States government. Apple among the leaders Since its foundation in a Californian garage in 1976, Apple has expanded massively, becoming one of the most valuable companies in the world. The company started its origins in the PC industry with the Macintosh, but soon entered other segments of the consumer electronics market. Today, the iPhone is the most popular Apple product, although Mac, iPad, wearables, and services also contribute to its high revenues. Aiming at innovation, Apple invests every year in research and development, spanning a wide array of technologies from AI through to extended reality. Nvidia's immense growth With a focus that began with origins in gaming, Nvidia's business strategy has been transformed by demand from data centers that sit at the heart of the AI boom. The company's chips have been favored to support in the training and running of a range of large language models, most notably in the development of OpenAI's ChatGPT.

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Vietnam: Stock market capitalization w/o top 10 firms, percent of total market cap: The latest value from 2018 is 42.32 percent, unavailable from percent in . In comparison, the world average is 44.15 percent, based on data from 41 countries. Historically, the average for Vietnam from 2018 to 2018 is 42.32 percent. The minimum value, 42.32 percent, was reached in 2018 while the maximum of 42.32 percent was recorded in 2018.

Australia: Stock market capitalization w/o top 10 firms, percent of total market cap: The latest value from 2018 is 60.79 percent, a decline from 61 percent in 2017. In comparison, the world average is 44.15 percent, based on data from 41 countries. Historically, the average for Australia from 1998 to 2018 is 56.97 percent. The minimum value, 50.32 percent, was reached in 2013 while the maximum of 65.3 percent was recorded in 2006.

The Solomon Islands: Stock market capitalization w/o top 10 firms, percent of total market cap: The latest value from is percent, unavailable from percent in . In comparison, the world average is 0.00 percent, based on data from countries. Historically, the average for the Solomon Islands from to is percent. The minimum value, percent, was reached in while the maximum of percent was recorded in .

Japan: Stock market capitalization w/o top 10 firms, percent of total market cap: The latest value from 2020 is 82.65 percent, a decline from 84.98 percent in 2019. In comparison, the world average is 47.89 percent, based on data from 28 countries. Historically, the average for Japan from 1998 to 2020 is 75.18 percent. The minimum value, 57.04 percent, was reached in 2007 while the maximum of 86.55 percent was recorded in 2018.

Indonesia: Stock market capitalization w/o top 10 firms, percent of total market cap: The latest value from 2017 is 52 percent, a decline from 52.49 percent in 2016. In comparison, the world average is 48.03 percent, based on data from 37 countries. Historically, the average for Indonesia from 1998 to 2017 is 49.51 percent. The minimum value, 39.34 percent, was reached in 1998 while the maximum of 59.41 percent was recorded in 2010.

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************ was the leading domestic company in Japan based on market capitalization, which amounted to around **** trillion Japanese yen in June 2025. ****************************** ranked second with a market capitalization of about **** trillion yen. With an aggregate market capitalization of over *** trillion yen in 2024, the Tokyo Stock Exchange is one of the largest stock exchanges in the world.